Ice Eater Update

Ice Eaters are still available in all sizes but are currently requiring an additional business day to ship due to the overwhelming number of orders passing through the warehouse at the moment.  At the moment there are a limited number of P500 1/2 HP units that can ship today and can be overnighted for the standard shipping rate.

Demand for De-icers and Ice Eaters is High as Arctic Blast Slams Eastern and Central States

With the recent frigid weather that has slammed the eastern and central states, we've seen demand for dock de-icers skyrocket. Reports of many local dealers being out of stock have led large numbers of dock and boat owners to search on-line for available units that can ship out quickly.

We're happy to say that we have all sizes of the Kasco Marine De-icers and PowerHouse Ice Eaters in stock and ready to ship. Most orders will go out the same or next business day. Our de-icer warehouse is in Maryland which makes for short delivery times to the eastern seaboard and the Great Lakes. Shipments to the mid-west take about 3 busniess days by ground.

We have slashed our prices on Powerhouse Ice Eater units, so you'll find that our prices on both brands are extremely competitive. We also have parts and accessories, whether you need a replacement propeller a de-icer thermostat, or a special dock mount, we can help.

Visit our De-icer and Ice Eater section or give us a call at 866-560-1330 if we can be of assistance.

By the way, we work with a number of marinas, resorts and commercial entities, so if you are looking for 5 or more units, contact us about bulk order discounts. We can get you individual units, or pallet loads.

Stay warm,
Loren

Read the recent SavvyScoop on our De-icer & Ice Eater Sale

December 17 2009 is the last day to order nautical gifts and get them by Christmas

Hi All,

We just wanted to remind you that if you are looking for great nautical gifts for your boater, order by December 17 to be sure you get it by Christmas. We are offering 3 Day Express standard shipping on these items from Weems & Plath as a Holiday Special, and even better, it's FREE on items over $100!...

Your Friends at SavvyBoater.com

Christmas Ship Parades

Portland, Oregon has a venerable tradition (55 years and counting) of parading lighted boats up and down the Willamette and Columbia Rivers during the holiday season.  It's a lot of fun to pull up on the lawn or dock of one of the many riverside parks, wrap up in a blanket and watch the imaginative boats parade by.  If the weather doesn't cooperate, you can catch them the next day at a different stretch of river    Andrew Curtis produced a great little video of the 2008 Christmas Ship Parade that runs through the entire parade in about a minute set to Vince Guaraldi Christmas music.  

For more info on the Portland Parade visit the Christmas Ship Parade web site at http://www.christmasships.org/.

If you're not in Portland, there are dozens of similar parades around North America.  Blue Water Sailing has a current schedule of events around the US and Canada.

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Still looking for a great gift for the boater on your list?  Check out SavvyBoater's nautical gift ideas for the boater or sailor on your Christmas list.  Standard shipping has been update to 3-day Express and it's free for selected items over $100.  Order by December 17th for delivery by Christmas.

Have a joyous holiday season!

Boating Gifts - Find the perfect gift for the boater or sailor on your list

Looking for the perfect gift for the boater in your life? We've got some ideas and specials to make your shopping easier.


If you'd like something to remind them of boating year around, we are offering some great deals on fantastic clocks, weather instruments and other nautical gifts by Weems & Plath. We've upgraded our standard shipping to 3 day express on all our Weems & Plath items, and to make it even better, we've are offering FREE Express Shipping on Weems & Plath items over $100!


In addition to their most popular collections of clocks and instruments, we have a selection of decorative and functional brass chart weights and ships bells as well as brass yacht lamps. I'm planning on picking up a Storm Glass for our "sailor that has everything". This antique weather instrument was developed in the British Royal Navy and grows different crystal patterns in response to atmospheric conditions. exactly how it works remains a bit of a mystery, but it is a novel and handsome addition to any mariner's collection.



Buying boating gear for a boater can be a challenge unless you are quite familiar with their boat. Here are a few things that any boater will find useful:


Engel Marine Coolers - Whether your boating, fishing, camping or hunting, nothing performs quite like an Engel Cooler. The High Performance Ice Chests feature 2+ inches of top quality insulation, freezer grade gaskets and a super tough roto-molded plastic body with molded in hinges make this a cooler that will last a lifetime. When used properly, these coolers can keep ice for up to 14 days which makes them popular with boaters of all walks. Engel Electric Coolers run on 12V or 110V. With a reliable power source they function like a refrigerator, or turn down the thermostat and freeze your catch while you're still at sea.


Top Snapper Snap and Deck Tools - The Top Snapper by Ironwood Pacific makes working with canvas boat snaps a well... snap. The main blade on this tool can effortlessly pop open even the stickiest snap, and it can be used to snap snaps on the outside of the windshield from inside the cockpit. The short blade at the bottom of the handle makes it easy to snap difficult snaps, even on shrunken canvas. Pick up the matching DeckMate to add 7 of the most common deck tools in one clever package.



Backyard Bass - If you'd like to introduce youngsters on your list to fishing, the Backyard Bass game is a great way to teach casting. they are fun and simple, and best of all, can be played with in a garage, hall or gym, even when the weather keeps you indoors. Each set includes 3 colorful plastic fish and a casting plug. Just set the fish out cast to them and with a little skill catch and reel them in. I can tell you from experience that the kids had to fight the adults for a chance to use the set I got for my nephew.

Ice Eater Functionality Extended with Shallow Water Stand

Over the years we've helped a lot of customers find the right de-icer configuration to meet their specific deicing circumstances. One of the toughest to solve has been shallow water situations, whether it is a pond or lake with a shallow slope or a wetland/water interface. The Shallow Water Ice Eater Stand by MallardView now makes it easy to mount your Ice Eater in 18" to 48" of water.

This metal stand features 4 legs that can be sunk securely into the bottom and adjusted for the depth of the water . The Ice Eater mounts to a bracket in the middle of the frame that allows for the angle to be adjusted from nearly horizontal to nearly vertical.

How can you use a shallow water Ice Eater stand? It was originally designed to open water holes in the ice in flooded fields for waterfowl, but that isn't the sole use. It could be applied to open water in shallow ponds for livestock or wildlife. In one recent application, our customer had a viewing platform at the edge of a marsh. The platform was exposed to the open water of the lake and had sustained ice damage during the past couple winters. Unfortunately the water was only 2' -3' deep which blocked the normal installation of an Ice Eater. With the new shallow water stand, the customer was able to mount the Ice Eater in the shallow water in front of the platform, circulating warmer water from the depths of the lake, back around the dock.

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Check our Current Specials and save up to 35% Ice Eater De-icers. We've got the best prices of the season on the full array of the Powerhouse Ice Eaters as well as the Kasco Marine deicer line.




We've recently expanded our PowerHouse and Kasco Marine offerings to include Pond Aerators, Aerating Fountains and water circulators for year round management of your water quality.

Outfitting Our New Rig with Kayak Racks and Gear Storage

We recently bought a new Nissan Xterra and needed to outfit it for hauling our kayaks and gear on trips. I turned to the folks at FastTrackRacks.com for some help and they were great. Here's how it rolled out.
Phase One - Add a Trailer Hitch. We added a CURT trailer hitch, which cost, including installation, at about 1/2 the price we were quoted for the Nissan factory option.

Phase two - Add Kayak Racks. The factory racks on an Xterra are stout, but pretty narrow and we wanted to load two kayaks. We decided on adding a set of wider 65" cross bars and went with the Inno Racks - a brand which is big in Japan, but relatively new to the US. Quality and option wise Inno gives Yakima and Thule some strong competition, but they are a much better value. In addition, they have square cross bars which make it easier to get racks to stay in place and not "roll". We added two Yakima kayak racks, each composed of a Yakima "Hully Roller" in the back and the Yakima Mako Saddle in the front. I haven't fully decided whether I would go with the Hully Rollers in the future, or go with a second saddle. The rollers help a little bit, but are less stable and guiding than the saddle seems to be.

Phase Three - Gear Storage. Since our Lab, Makai normally goes everywhere with us, we needed some extra room for gear. I wasn't too excited about throwing paddles, wet boots and life jackets into the back seat, so we invested in a Stowaway Cargo Box. This gives us a 16 cubic foot trunk, which is a lot of space. It was the perfect solution for us as our roof rack is already occupied, and frankly, it is a lot easier loading stuff in at waist height than having to climb up to the roof to access the box. It's easy to install and takes me about 5 minutes to hook up or remove. It fits into the trailer hitch and pins into place. Since it has a swingaway style frame, we are able to gain full access to the back.

The Results - We are totally stoked about the new system and loving the Xterra. It makes it really easy to load and transport our kayaks and gear and it's fun to drive. Since it is the end of the season, we haven't put too many miles on all the racks, but enough to know they were a good decision. We've found the Stowaway extremely useful for all kinds of things ranging from bringing 40 pounds of tomatoes home, to hauling products and display items to trade shows.

Disclosure - We are right nextdoor to the FastTrackRacks office and I know the people there well. They gave us a good deal and lots of helps selecting our new gear. If you are in the market, be sure to check them out, I think you too will find a great deal and helpful service at FastTrackRacks.com.